JonyMac's Stillwater Home Brewery Bar Basement Build Thread

[Braufessor]

I would HIGHLY recommend a floor drain - either round or linear like I have. I use it all the time with my fermenters.

+1
I have a floor drain in my basement brew room....... absolutely essential. It is so handy if it is something you have or can put in.

 

[Sheldon]

Truly awesome.

Sheldon

 

[ThomasO5608]

Absolutely Awesome! I too spent last year building an electric brewery/pub in my basement but mine pales in comparison to yours. Very nice design (I see some similarities to Kal's) and I love all the rustic accents.
Tom
P.S. Here is my build http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27986

 

[JonyMac]

Thanks Sheldon!

Thomas - your setup rocks! I love all the wood and the floor. Do your really keep your brewery that uncluttered and clean?!

JonyMac

 

[brewman68]

That is an amazing job you did! Well done.

Bobby

 

[ThomasO5608]

Hey JonyMac, Can you tell us a little more about how you created your menu board/computer screen? What software did you use to create it etc/

Thanks,

Tom

 

[JonyMac]

Hey JonyMac, Can you tell us a little more about how you created your menu board/computer screen? What software did you use to create it etc/

Thanks,

Tom

Sure - I am using Raspberry Pints - http://raspberrypints.com/ I am running it off a Macbook Air as an external monitor. I have it configured to think it is on a RaspberryPi box, but it is a virtual RaspberryPi within the Mac OS. All the instructions are in the link above. I will add flow control in the future so that ounces poured updates live. It isn't that hard to setup, just takes some tinkering and a little determination. Give it a shot!

JonyMac

 

[ThomasO5608]

Sure - I am using Raspberry Pints - http://raspberrypints.com/ I am running it off a Macbook Air as an external monitor. I have it configured to think it is on a RaspberryPi box, but it is a virtual RaspberryPi within the Mac OS. All the instructions are in the link above. I will add flow control in the future so that ounces poured updates live. It isn't that hard to setup, just takes some tinkering and a little determination. Give it a shot!

JonyMac

Thanks JonyMac, My new brewery project has just begun. I am so pumped to get this info.

 

[JonyMac]

Let me know if you need help!

 

[Bowtiebrewery]

Good Lord of Shiny Objects!

 

[sudbuddy]

Stunning. You are a god among men

 

[TxBigHops]

If you saw somebody pulling this

behind his car, you wouldn't think he was Bill Gates. But that is a $50,000 boat. That's what is amazing about this hobby. Extreme costs about what below average would cost in other hobbies.

That is a really good point! A few years ago we moved to a communuty near a lake, and my wife said we just HAD to get a boat. Bought a used one for $18K. I bet we haven't used that boat more than 25 times in the last 8 years. And pay $80 a month to keep it in storage. I'M PUTTING THAT DAMN THING UP FOR SALE TOMORROW TO START MY BREWERY BUILD!!! Unfortunately, space is my biggest hurdle to having a dedicated brew space. Dang Houston and it's no basements!

 

[Calichusetts]

The two happiest days of a boater:

They day they buy their boat
They day they sell their boat

 

[BrunDog]

And not necessarily in that order.

 

[WaltStarr]

The two happiest days of a boater:

They day they buy their boat
They day they sell their boat

B O A T

Bust Out Another Thousand

 

[kal]

Damn, someone finally beat Kal at blingcity. The apprentice now becomes the blingmaster...

My work here is done.

Like many I was floored when JonyMac first showed me the final pictures. He's been sending me pics for the last year or so as the work proceeded and picking my brain for ideas. I could easily see that this was going to be an epic build right from the start. Seeing the final pics here has me grinning from ear to ear and it's not even my basement! Hard to put into words, but it's so satisfying to see something I did be an inspiration (however minor) for others like this. It makes me think that may be I'm not so nuts after all...

Did you use Ditra under all of the tile on the concrete slab? I'm wondering what I should use. Kal's installer put down wood, but Ditra sounds a lot better. Or did you put it down right on the concrete?

If you plan on dumping water on to the floor because you have a floor drain/trough you want to use I'd definitely go with Ditra or similar. I'd build the brewery floor like it was a tiled shower.

In my case I don't dump on the floor. I've had a few spills here and there (mostly water) which get mopped up right away - no different than what you may have in a tiled kitchen (which doesn't have anything more than tile on plywood).

It all depends on the usage / how you like to brew. When I dump something I dump into the sink, but if you have a floor drain / trough you could as easily dump into that. I could see it being handy for cleaning/rinsing the conicals. When rinsing you could have a CIP ball inside and just dump on the floor.

I do have a small round floor drain (near the door to the brewery under my hops/yeast freezer) but it's for emergencies only - in case something somewhere leaks. The only other basement drain near the furnace is really far away.

I used http://www.cosella-dorken.com/bvf-ca-en/products/foundation_residential/floor/products/fl.php when finishing the basement in my prior house. Underlayment fastened through it to the slab, with tile over that. Carpet in some sections. Worked great and created a much more comfortable floor with some "give" and warmth.

You still need plywood or OSB over this dimpled underlay (we used something similar in our entire basement). You can't lay tile directly on to this underlay as it's not a stable surface. So from top down you'd have:

Tile
plywood
dimpled underlay (keeps moisture from the slab away)
Concrete slab

You can mortar the tile directly to the concrete too as JonyMac did. My contractor chose to not do this as you can get cracks over time in the concrete (normal) which then translate to cracks or separations in tile. Really depends on the age of the house/where it's built. My house was really new and the foundation was only 1-2 years old so some cracking/settling was still to be expected. YMMV.

Happy brewing!

Kal

P.S. for JonyMac: Your link to my theelectricbrewery.com website in the first sentence of your first post has a typo in the URL. It goes to http://www.thelectricbrewry.com/

 

[itsnotrequired]

You still need plywood or OSB over this dimpled underlay (we used something similar in our entire basement). You can't lay tile directly on to this underlay as it's not a stable surface. So from top down you'd have:

Tile
plywood
dimpled underlay (keeps moisture from the slab away)
Concrete slab

be sure to look at the installation instructions for whatever membrane product is laid down. for ditra, you don't want to put plywood or any other substrate over the membrane. lay the tile directly on the ditra. one if ditra's functions is uncoupling, which prevents movement in the base material (e.g. concrete) from transfering up through the tile and causing cracking. placing plywood over ditra would defeat one of the purposes of putting ditra down in the first place.

bottom line, read the instructions.

 

[kal]

be sure to look at the installation instructions for whatever membrane product is laid down. for ditra, you don't want to put plywood or any other substrate over the membrane.... placing plywood over ditra would defeat one of the purposes of putting ditra down in the first place.

Absolutely correct. Sorry if it caused any confusion, but I was only referring to the DELTA-FL product that jeffmeh was linking to. This stuff he linked to here:

http://www.cosella-dorken.com/bvf-ca-en/products/foundation_residential/floor/products/fl.php

The manufacturer talks about requiring plywood (or similar) between the floor covering and the DELTA®-FL membrane:

DELTA®-FL functions as an effective vapor barrier in conjunction with wood laminate floors and many other common floor coverings, and is a simple new solution to create a beautiful, high-performance basement floor.

The light-weight product comes in two different roll sizes, as well as easy-to-handle sheets. It is fast and easy enough for the average homeowner to install.

Once DELTA®-FL and plywood sheets are laid out, a variety of floor coverings can be installed:
- laminate floors (floating directly on top of DELTA®-FL)
- carpeting with underlay (on top of plywood board)
- vinyl flooring (on top of plywood board)
- hardwood flooring (on top of plywood board)

I think I mis-read jeffmeh's earlier post to mean that he installed tile directly over this DELTA-FL stuff which obviously he didn't do.

bottom line, read the instructions.

Yup! Always important!

Kal

 

[Oldskooler]

Fantastic...

 

[jeffmeh]

Absolutely correct. Sorry if it caused any confusion, but I was only referring to the DELTA-FL product that jeffmeh was linking to. This stuff he linked to here:

http://www.cosella-dorken.com/bvf-ca-en/products/foundation_residential/floor/products/fl.php

The manufacturer talks about requiring plywood (or similar) between the floor covering and the DELTA®-FL membrane:



I think I mis-read jeffmeh's earlier post to mean that he installed tile directly over this DELTA-FL stuff which obviously he didn't do.


Yup! Always important!

Kal

Correct. Plywood underlayment over the membrane, anchored through the membrane to the concrete slab. Then the finished flooring. Made for a very comfortable basement floor, easier on the body because it had give, warmer and dryer because of the air gap. Note that the baseboard trim was elevated so that air could circulate through the entire perimeter, although that would not be obvious unless the bottom of the baseboard was at eye level.

We moved in July and our current finished basement has carpet over the slab. Not nearly as nice, and I'm not sure that I am willing to give up the few inches in ceiling height to use the product again. It's not high on the priority list, regardless.

 

[JonyMac]

Our house is 15 years old and the has finished settling. The tile I used was large as well -we'll see how it holds up - looks good so far...

 

[JonyMac]

My work here is done.

Like many I was floored when JonyMac first showed me the final pictures. He's been sending me pics for the last year or so as the work proceeded and picking my brain for ideas. I could easily see that this was going to be an epic build right from the start. Seeing the final pics here has me grinning from ear to ear and it's not even my basement! Hard to put into words, but it's so satisfying to see something I did be an inspiration (however minor) for others like this. It makes me think that may be I'm not so nuts after all...

Kal,

You sir, deserve all the credit. There is no way I could have envisioned this and pulled it off without you and Spike being the inspirations and pioneers in this area. And it was not a minor inspiration whatsoever. I am just lucky to be able to pull it off. Keep on pushing the envelope! I can't wait to see where you lead the community next. ...and you are nuts, my wife says I am for doing this, so YOU must be for dreaming it to begin with!

JonyMac

 

[JonyMac]

Smoked Pumpkin Ale on the brew board this weekend!

 

[jbunton]

Please just take my money and build me one LOL. Congrat though. Amazing Job

 

[JonyMac]

Thanks jbunton!

 

[Oldskooler]

Amazing!

 

[JMathie77]

Sure - I am using Raspberry Pints - http://raspberrypints.com/ I am running it off a Macbook Air as an external monitor. I have it configured to think it is on a RaspberryPi box, but it is a virtual RaspberryPi within the Mac OS. All the instructions are in the link above. I will add flow control in the future so that ounces poured updates live. It isn't that hard to setup, just takes some tinkering and a little determination. Give it a shot!

JonyMac

JonyMac, did you ever get around to adding the flow meters to your raspberry pints? If so did you have a good clean solution for the installation of it all. Is there a case for the raspberry pi with the alaMode board? Where did you install the raspberry pi computer itself? I'm just wanting a good looking install for it all since I'm ready to order parts!

 

[JMathie77]

JonyMac, did you ever get around to adding the flow meters to your raspberry pints? If so did you have a good clean solution for the installation of it all. Is there a case for the raspberry pi with the alaMode board? Where did you install the raspberry pi computer itself? I'm just wanting a good looking install for it all since I'm ready to order parts!

Just read a little closer that you are running off of a mac. Oops!

 

[brewman !]

Are those electrical panels to the right of your brewing vessels ?

 

[JonyMac]

I haven't done the flow meters yet - maybe this spring.